Washington’s Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee was once a 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful, but his run was relatively short and sweet.
Inslee is back in the spotlight Thursday… this time for a stunt much more rotten.
To show appreciation for victims of the state’s blazing wildfire, Inslee donated apples from his estate’s personal orchard to those affected by the natural disaster.
The only problem?
The apples were rotten and infested with maggots, according to multiple reports.
Fox News reported that local Washington officials are scrambling to recall the apples across the state. The governor’s apples were donated to a retirement home where the apples there tested positive for apple maggot larvae, and his rotten apples also appeared at a church where authorities were unable to locate where they went.
But that’s not even the core issue.
Official reports say that Inslee’s apples may have contaminated previously maggot-free apples throughout Douglas County, Washington.
County officials on Facebook noted:
“Apple Maggots are an incredibly serious pest and could have dire consequences for the orchardists of Douglas County if we are unable to find the infected apples and mitigate the effects immediately.”
Critics say what Inslee did — bringing the fruit from an “apple maggot quarantine area” into a non-quarantine area — was illegal.
The governor expressed regret for the mistake.
“Last week Trudi [Inslee’s wife] and I wanted to express comfort for the communities suffering from devastating fires,” Inslee said. “When I visited some of these areas, I took some apples we picked from our tree in Olympia. We regret this mistake. This is a good reminder of the importance of awareness around apple quarantine.”
According to detailed reports out of Seattle, some residents were upset about the apples — maggots or not. They said Inslee’s political stunt was out of touch with residents who are hurting financially from out-of-control wildfires.
“A lot of people felt that as a slap in the face,” said Shannon Hampe, a wildfire relief organizer. “Him nor his office are in touch with what happens over here and who we are.”
The Horn editorial team